Higher Education

Western Washington University broke ground in March of 2023 on the $73.6 million Kaiser Borsari Hall in Bellingham. Designed by Perkins&Will, the 54,000-sf structure will accommodate the school's growing programs in computer science, electrical engineering, and energy science and technology. The four-story building will provide active learning classrooms, teaching and research labs, offices, breakout areas, a multicultural student lounge, and a collaborative commons. 

Wesleyan University is constructing a four-story, 190,000-sf science building in Middletown, Conn. Designed by Payette, the inclusive and accessible facility will provide 39 research and support labs, 10 classrooms, nine teaching labs, a vivarium, and a greenhouse. A central commons will act as a welcoming destination for informal interaction and study, accompanied by a café, an enclosed courtyard, and a landscaped plaza.

Wake Technical Community College is constructing the $72.4 million General Education Building in Wendell, N.C. Designed by BSA LifeStructures, the 118,000-sf facility will offer active learning classrooms, science labs, a library, an auditorium, tutoring areas, study spaces, and a food service venue. Supporting associate degree programs in engineering, science, and art, the welcoming and inclusive structure will also provide an array of student services including admissions, advising, and financial aid.

New teaching facilities for science and engineering stress flexibility and interdisciplinarity, but how much flexibility is appropriate? Michael Lauber, principal at Ellenzweig in Boston, cites three recent university-level projects at Michigan State University, University of Maine, and Rice University to demonstrate how to achieve varying levels of flexibility with lab infrastructure and casework, and how the floorplan can enable occupants to easily adapt their space to ever-changing pedagogical goals in multiple STEM disciplines.

Southwestern College broke ground in February of 2023 on a $100 million student union in Chula Vista, Calif. Designed by Gensler as the dynamic heart of the campus, the 85,000-sf replacement facility will act as a vibrant nexus where students and faculty can gather, engage, and socialize. Accommodating diverse learning communities and activities, the complex will offer a state-of-the art dining and food service hall, a multipurpose room, a ballroom, a meditation room, and a grab-and-go coffee bar.

Pennsylvania State University opened the $88.2 million Engineering Design and Innovation Building in February of 2023. Designed by Payette and Lamar Johnson Collaborative, the 105,000-gsf facility provides maker spaces, teaching and research labs, two active learning venues, general-purpose classrooms, and faculty and departmental offices. The four-story structure offers multiuse design studios, machine shops, and prototyping and fabrication suites, as well as housing the Factory for Advanced Manufacturing Education Lab and the Bernhard M.

The University of Utah broke ground in February of 2023 on the Applied Sciences Project in Salt Lake City. Designed by EDA, the $93.5 million endeavor includes renovation of 40,700 sf in the historic William Stewart Building and construction of a 100,000-sf teaching and research facility. The integrated complex will feature wet and dry labs where teams of scientists will address the country’s most urgent issues, from energy and climate change to air quality and water management.

The North Carolina State Legislature often receives requests from its representatives for funding to construct new academic buildings at the state universities in their districts. Lately, it’s been all about STEM facilities. STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) jobs are predicted to increase faster than other kinds of positions in the 2020s, so some requests represent a legitimate response to the need for STEM graduates. But which universities truly need more space? To help them allocate funding sensibly, the University of North Carolina System Office commissioned a statewide study, using an innovative methodology balancing current utilization, building conditions, and future space needs.

Unity Hall, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s new five-story, 100,000-sf academic and research building, brings together faculty from robotics, data science, bioinformatics, and computational biology. Highlights of the $80 million building, which opened in January 2022, are the flexibility of the lab spaces, the varied and numerous collaboration zones and spaces, and the standardized size of faculty offices.

The University of Tennessee is constructing the $95 million Agriculture and Natural Resources Building in Knoxville. Designed by Barber McMurry Architects and Lord Aeck Sargent, the 157,000-gsf facility will provide the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with both interdisciplinary and specialized lab environments for teaching, research, and public service.

Long Island University opened the $26 million College of Veterinary Medicine Learning Center in February of 2023 in Brookville, N.Y. Advancing innovation in veterinary and biomedical science, the 33,100-sf facility provides three 150-seat lecture halls, classrooms, clinical skills labs, seminar rooms, and laboratories for teaching, research, and diagnostic services. A simulation training venue for working with small animals offers examination rooms, surgical suites, and a medical imaging center.

Chico State University broke ground in February of 2023 on a $98 million facility for the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences in Chico, Calif. Designed by AC Martin, the 94,000-sf building will provide 22 classrooms, five research labs, conference and breakout rooms, faculty offices, and a large tiered lecture hall. Accommodating nine academic departments, the collaborative structure will feature integrated technologies to support a variety of learning modalities.

The $78 million, 108,000-sf Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center opened to students on Aug. 24, 2022, marking the University of Maine’s first step in a $600 million master facilities plan that aims to renovate or replace all engineering and computing buildings on the school’s main campus in Orono. The update of these facilities also aligns with the proposed Maine College of Engineering, Computing, and Information Science (MCECIS), a statewide initiative to equip Maine’s technical workforce with new teaching methods, curricula, and capital investments in infrastructure over the next 10 years, all aimed at addressing the current shortage of engineering and computing graduates. 

The Student Success District is a ground-breaking addition to the University of Arizona’s urban fabric. The design strengthens connections between new and existing structures, activates underutilized spaces, and prioritizes the student experience. The complex project revitalizes the Main Library and the Bear Down Gymnasium, reorients the entry to the Albert B. Weaver Science-Engineering Library, and merges the buildings with a new 55,000-sf Center for Academic Success.

Gattuso Development Partners and Vigilant Holdings broke ground in February of 2023 on a $450 million life sciences center in Philadelphia. Located in the University City district on the campus of Drexel University, the 11-story, 519,647-rsf building will provide wet and dry research labs for the creation of novel therapeutics and medical technologies. Drexel will occupy 60,000 sf in the collaborative structure to enable the growth of core R&D functions and selected academic programs.